Letter to Kim from WMA secretary.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, American sprinter
Kim Touya shared a letter from WMA Secretary
Winston Thomas informing her (and her W35 teammates) that his compatriot women were disqualified from their Lyon bronze. “The British 4×100 relay team … was DQd because they ran someone who was not on their roster as one of the four legs OR as an alternate,” Kim writes. “It went unnoticed during the competition because the athlete that ran wore the bibs of the athlete that was supposed to run. This impersonation was later discovered, but not until after the meet ended. The information and other evidence was handed over to the authorities, and after about a month, the team was officially disqualified in September. We waited a long time to find out that we did in fact earn a medal and that the results would be officially changed. We are thankful that those that represent USA Masters Track took the matter seriously and worked to see that we got what we earned…. Wearing my medal proudly today!” My sources indicate the “impersonator” was
Nina Anderson, who when asked for her medal back told the British vets association that she had given it away. Yeah, right.
Pre-DQ results of relay show the Brits just ahead of the Americans. Congrats to LaTisha, Rachel and Danelle as well. I know how you feel.
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Who did Nina run for?
I’m told it was Paula Owen, injured the night before in the short hurdles.
Does this make any sense? I’ve never been a big fan of chest thumping because one country’s relay team beats another (especially if one’s country provides zero financial to get you to a world meet, although that might now be changing, or if one country’s population is say the size of Iceland). But it seems like each country gets to decide how to select its relay teams. So long as a team is made up of country-men or women does it really matter how long or short the relay roster is, or whether an athlete had to run a 100m or 400m heat first to get on the relay list? O.K., this is one way of cutting the potential list down to size, I suppose (until it is the end of a two week World Meet and your relay list for an age-group has dwindled to three because of injuries or athletes going home early). Running with someone else bib number, however, is a definite no-no, and warrants a DQ, so there.
The cause of the Lyon British W35 4x100m relay disqualification is stupid, childish and a disgrace to British masters athletics.
But the British have tried it before. In connection with the 2006 World Masters Indoors, Linz the British Team Manager entered the track to substitute a legitimate relay runner with a runner who came too late and thus was not on the Final Call Room List for the British M65 4x200m relay team.
Same thing then.The illegal replacement asked the legitimate relay team runner to hand over his bib from the Call Room. I protested that this would break the rules and that the British M65 team would inevitably be found out and disqualified.
My British Team Manager said roughly ”Take a chance on nobody noticing. I will cover for you.” I refused. We ran the legitimate British team and we came an honourable last. The British Team Manager swore at me for following the rules.
However the British team – solely thanks to me – had followed the rules and thus avoided the inevitable disqualification and bad publicity. Unlike Lyon. You would think that the British had learned since 2006.
Former British masters chairman Winston Thomas – the very same man who is now enforcing this correct WMA ruling as WMA Secretary – back in 2006 had stated that his British Team Manager had done no wrong in the equivalent situation at WMA Linz. Times change, obviously.
Following my complaint, in 2007 Winston Thomas suspended me for one year for ”bringing the sport into disrepute.” And without any hearing or appeal.
I had at first patiently attempted quiet, civilized, offline conciliation; and then being ignored lodged formal complaints to BMAF, WMA and even the the British national governing body United Kingdom Athletics.
For some unknown reason, I got absolutely nowhere and was insulted for my troubles. Back in 2006 I wrote to Ken Stone: ”How these miserable sods think they can treat me in this way, I cannot fathom.”
Eventually I did ”fathom.” Four years later in 2010, to my surprise and disgust I discovered by chance, via a British freedom of information request, that the British Team Manager and his Chairman Winston Thomas already in 2006 had prepared all 11 British clubs (including my British SCVAC club ”mates” who never told me) and fellow WMA and UKA officers with a litany of counter-complaints against me. The counter-complaints comprised a complete and utter cock-and-bull story of prior differences with the BMAF Team Manager and intransigence towards BMAF Chairman Winston Thomas that were supposed to explain away my complaint about the BMAF Team Manager’s conduct at 2006 World Masters Indoors, Linz. All very, very nasty. Anyway, I hope the British masters have now got the message in time for the next championships.
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